Rivertown rants, raves and reviews from a man of many hats

Petaluma Weekend – Things To Do

June 25, 26, 27

(Please feel free to contact me with any events you would like to see highlighted on upcoming editions of Petaluma Weekend.)

Ugly Dog?

The major event this weekend is the Sonoma-Marin Fair. Along with many musical events, there is The Ugly Dog Contest, The Destruction Derby, food, animals, rides, exhibits…and so much more. With far too many events for me to list, I encourage you to visit the website for more info: www.sonoma-marinfair.org.

Check in early for next week’s edition of “Petaluma Weekend”. Next weekend contains the 4th of July and all the appropriate festivities in order to celebrate our country’s birthday. You may want to start planning your weekend early. Two of my favorite events are out in Penngrove next weekend. The Penngrove firemen’s breakfast is Saturday morning at the firehouse. The parade is on Sunday at 11am, followed by the BBQ in the park.

Fri – 6:30pm – North Bay Vegan Potluck – Although I don’t consider it food, I will throw it in this section anyway. (Meat-free may be one of the healthiest ways to live… I just love bacon too much for it to work for me, and I will likely pay the price for that in the end.) This is a great way for those already entrenched as well as those who are just curious, to meet, eat, and talk about the vegan lifestyle. I have a lot of friends who are veggies and vegies so who knows, maybe I will potluck with them one of these days. This month’s incarnation will be hosted at the Petaluma United Church of Christ. Their website has blogs about previous events, but the only info I can find on the current event is at Petaluma360’s events calendar.

Sat – 9am-4pm – Ales and Trails – The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) will be holding their HUGE yearly fundraiser at China Camp State Park in San Rafael. There will be bike demos, food, music, contests, auctions and beer tasting. www.alesandtrails.net/Home.html

Fri – 6:30pm – Get some exercise before the weekend starts with Athletic Soles’ Dame’s Dash and Drink. It’s free and you don’t have to be an avid runner to enjoy these runs. Distances ranging from 3 to 6 miles, with discount refreshments to follow at Tres Hombres. For info on all their events visit www.athleticsoles.com. Holly of Athletic Soles just posted a great blog about warm weather running at Pacing Petaluma.

Fri/Sat/Sun 11:30am –La Dolce Vita is open early for World Cup action. I am going to assume that someone will notify me when all the football stuff is over. www.ldvwine.com

Sat – All Day –The Wine Country Baseball League’s inaugural season continues this weekend with another triple header at Cardinal Newman’s brand new field. You can read my article in the Argus at http://tinyurl.com/282bxqj and my blog at http://tinyurl.com/24qslvk

Sun – 7pm – The Petaluma Speedway will be uncharacteristically silent this weekend because of the fair, but will fire up Sunday evening with the ever popular Crash-up, Smash-up, Demolition, Destruction Derby. You don’t have to be a redneck to enjoy the sights and sounds of cars smashing into each other. Admission is $5 in addition to the general fair admission. If I recall correctly, you have to finish your food and drink prior to entering the race track, although you can buy and consume more once you are inside. Silly rule in my opinion, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Sat/Sun – Since the July 4th weekend is usually a busy one, you may want to catch The Petaluma Arts Council’s current exhibit this weekend. “A World Defined: Drawings and Sculptures by Chester Arnold and Edwin Hamilton,” as well as the very popular “Art And Infrastructure: Patricia Johanson and the Petaluma Wetlands Park,” wraps up on July 4.

Fri/Sat – 8pm-midnight – Karaoke with Kat Kat at The Willowbrook Alehouse. I debated which section to place this in since Karaoke is as much a sport as it is music, but either way it is always fun and often surprising. I have heard some of the most incredible voices hidden away in a hole in the wall karaoke bar. One of the few places in town with a late night menu, the Willowbrook’s kitchen stays open until 1am. Saturday night offers free pool.

Sat – 2pm – Ancient Future Duet (world) – Petaluma Library. This is a mix of ancient Celtic music and Indian raga.

Sat – 7pm – Bruce Kurnow (roots/Americana/blues) – Petaluma Arts Center – www.petalumaartscouncil.com. As a world renowned recording artists with over 40 solo recordings released, this is a rare performance. For a great article about Bruce Kurnow read Frank Hayhurst’s latest Face The Music blog here on Petaluma360.

Fri – 5:30pm – “Cruisin’ on the River” tours are back for the summer. The tours run roughly two hours and include wine and cheese, as well as a docent to teach you things you never knew about our river. Friends of the Petaluma River hosts these tours most Friday nights, and reservations are highly recommended. You can find more info about tours and private charters at: www.friendsofthepetalumariver.org

Sat – 1-3pm – Summer Walk in the Vineyard (free) – Flocchini Family Estates. This is another great event put on by the Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District. You get to meet the family, learn about their history, and find out how they are now using their land with a focus on resource conservation and land preservation. Reservations are required.

Sat – 2pm – Copperfield’s Books – “A heart-wrenching, powerfully written novel that could do for Palestine what The Kite Runner did for Afghanistan.” Author Susan Abulhawa, born in a refugee camp, is the founder of Playgrounds for Palestine which builds playgrounds in the occupied territories and refugee camps. www.copperfieldsbooks.com

About this blog

Meat Two Ways. …on a stick…and in a bowl!

My name is Houston and I am a Petalumaholic. If it has to do with Petaluma, I am reading about it, visiting it, playing in it, or eating it. I try to participate wherever I can in this community that I under-appreciated as a kid. A big fan of food, I revel in Petaluma’s vast and diverse restaurant, brewery, and winery scene and volunteer or visit every Petaluma food festival, event, or “feed” that I can. I am an Elite Yelp reviewer and in my free time blog as often as I can about the food, as well as the parades, festivals, events, people, and businesses that make Petaluma such a great place to live.

I encourage your feedback and look forward to serving the community through Petaluma 360. If you want to follow my blog without having to log into Petaluma360 you can do so by adding my feed to your homepage. Click on the orange “RSS” button at the bottom right of this webpage. Copy the web address of that link and then open your normal Yahoo (or whatever) homepage. There should be an “add content” option which will allow you add RSS feeds. The link on your homepage is minimal in size but it helps my page gain popularity, which I greatly appreciate, and will encourage me to “rant, rave and review” more often.

I love me some piggy belly!!! (at Tara Firma Farms, getting in touch with my inner pig farmer. They are located at the end of I St. and are open to the public from sunrise until sunset with numerous hiking trails and lots of farming.)